CN117539132A - Liquid treatment apparatus and liquid treatment method - Google Patents

Liquid treatment apparatus and liquid treatment method Download PDF

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Publication number
CN117539132A
CN117539132A CN202310959035.7A CN202310959035A CN117539132A CN 117539132 A CN117539132 A CN 117539132A CN 202310959035 A CN202310959035 A CN 202310959035A CN 117539132 A CN117539132 A CN 117539132A
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China
Prior art keywords
cup
flow path
state
liquid
wall
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Pending
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CN202310959035.7A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
吉村好贵
中木户智史
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Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Publication of CN117539132A publication Critical patent/CN117539132A/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
    • H01L21/6704—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for wet cleaning or washing
    • H01L21/67051—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for wet cleaning or washing using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/26—Processing photosensitive materials; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/30—Imagewise removal using liquid means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C11/00—Component parts, details or accessories not specifically provided for in groups B05C1/00 - B05C9/00
    • B05C11/02—Apparatus for spreading or distributing liquids or other fluent materials already applied to a surface ; Controlling means therefor; Control of the thickness of a coating by spreading or distributing liquids or other fluent materials already applied to the coated surface
    • B05C11/08—Spreading liquid or other fluent material by manipulating the work, e.g. tilting
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C11/00—Component parts, details or accessories not specifically provided for in groups B05C1/00 - B05C9/00
    • B05C11/10—Storage, supply or control of liquid or other fluent material; Recovery of excess liquid or other fluent material
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/26—Processing photosensitive materials; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/30—Imagewise removal using liquid means
    • G03F7/3021—Imagewise removal using liquid means from a wafer supported on a rotating chuck
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/26—Processing photosensitive materials; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/30—Imagewise removal using liquid means
    • G03F7/3092—Recovery of material; Waste processing
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
    • H01L21/02107—Forming insulating materials on a substrate
    • H01L21/02296—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer
    • H01L21/02299—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer pre-treatment
    • H01L21/02307—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer pre-treatment treatment by exposure to a liquid
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67023—Apparatus for fluid treatment for general liquid treatment, e.g. etching followed by cleaning
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/6715—Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67155—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations
    • H01L21/6719—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/683—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping
    • H01L21/687—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
    • H01L21/68714—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support
    • H01L21/68742—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/683—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping
    • H01L21/687—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
    • H01L21/68714—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support
    • H01L21/68764—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Exposure Of Semiconductors, Excluding Electron Or Ion Beam Exposure (AREA)
  • Cleaning Or Drying Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Weting (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid treatment apparatus and a liquid treatment method. The liquid processing apparatus which prevents the flow path of the exhaust gas in the switchable cup from being enlarged. The liquid treatment apparatus includes: a cup surrounding the substrate placed on the placement unit; an exhaust port provided at the bottom of the cup for exhausting the inside of the cup; an annular body provided in the cup so as to surround the substrate in a plan view, and forming a flow path for gas flowing into the cup from an opening of the cup; a lifting mechanism for relatively lifting the ring body relative to the cup to switch between a 1 st state and a 2 nd state, wherein in the 1 st state, the ring body is positioned at a 1 st relative height to perform exhaust of a 1 st flow path for allowing gas to flow from the center side of the cup to the exhaust port, and in the 2 nd state, the ring body is positioned at a 2 nd relative height to perform exhaust of a 2 nd flow path for allowing gas to flow from the outer periphery side of the cup to the exhaust port; and liquid discharge ports provided on the upstream side of the exhaust port in the 1 st flow path and the 2 nd flow path, respectively.

Description

Liquid treatment apparatus and liquid treatment method
Technical Field
The present application relates to a liquid treatment apparatus and a liquid treatment method.
Background
In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) is subjected to a process by supplying various processing liquids. Patent document 1 describes the following developing device: the wafer is accommodated in a cup (outer cup), and a developing solution selected from the 1 st developing solution (positive developing solution) and the 2 nd developing solution (negative developing solution) is supplied to the wafer to perform processing. In this developing device, the 1 st exhaust port for the developer, the 1 st drain port for the developer, the 2 nd exhaust port for the developer, and the 2 nd drain port for the developer are disposed at different positions in the radial direction of the outer cup. The height of the ring-shaped body (inner cup) provided in the outer cup is changed according to the developer used, and the flow paths of the exhaust gas and the drain gas in the outer cup are changed.
Prior art literature
Patent literature
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-18854
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
The present application provides a technology capable of preventing a liquid processing apparatus capable of switching a flow path of exhaust gas in a cup from being enlarged.
Solution for solving the problem
The liquid treatment apparatus of the present application comprises:
a mounting portion for mounting a substrate thereon;
a cup surrounding the substrate placed on the placement unit;
a treatment liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate and performing a treatment;
an exhaust port provided at the bottom of the cup for exhausting the inside of the cup;
an annular body provided in the cup so as to surround the substrate in a plan view, and forming a flow path for a gas flowing into the cup from an opening of the cup;
a lifting mechanism for relatively lifting the ring body with respect to the cup to switch between a 1 st state and a 2 nd state, wherein in the 1 st state, the ring body is positioned at a 1 st relative height to perform exhaust of a 1 st flow path for flowing the gas from the center side of the cup to the exhaust port, and in the 2 nd state, the ring body is positioned at a 2 nd relative height to perform exhaust of a 2 nd flow path for flowing the gas from the outer periphery side of the cup to the exhaust port; and
And liquid discharge ports which are respectively arranged on the upstream side of the exhaust port and the 1 st flow path and the 2 nd flow path.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
According to the present application, the liquid processing apparatus capable of switching the flow path of the exhaust gas in the cup can be prevented from being enlarged.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a top view of a developing device according to an embodiment of the present application.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the developing device.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the developing device.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the developing device when the process is performed by using a positive type developer.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the developing device when the process is performed by using a negative type developer.
Detailed Description
A developing device 1 according to an embodiment of the liquid processing apparatus of the present application will be described with reference to a plan view of fig. 1. The wafer W, which is a circular substrate, is transported to the developing device 1 by a transport mechanism, not shown. A resist film is formed on the surface of the wafer W, the resist film being exposed along a predetermined pattern, and the resist film being made of a positive or negative resist. The developing device 1 supplies a developing solution (positive developing solution) D1 for positive resist or a developing solution (negative developing solution) D2 for negative resist to the wafer W based on the resist film formed on the wafer W. In the developing device 1, a cleaning process is also performed in which a cleaning liquid is supplied to the surface of the wafer W after the developing process. Thus, the developing solutions (positive developing solution D1, negative developing solution D2) and the cleaning solution are processing solutions for processing the wafer W.
The developing device 1 includes a spin chuck 11, a cup 2, a lifting mechanism 50, a ring 4, a positive-type developer processing mechanism 8A, a negative-type developer processing mechanism 8B, and a cleaning liquid processing mechanism 8C. The wafer W conveyed from the rear side of the cup 2 by a conveying mechanism not shown is accommodated in the cup 2 and placed on the spin chuck 11 as a placement portion, and in this state, the development process and the cleaning process described above are performed. An exhaust port 20 is formed in the cup 2, and gas forming the atmosphere around the cup 2 flows in from the opening of the cup 2 and is discharged from the exhaust port 20, thereby preventing mist generated during processing from leaking to the outside of the cup 2.
The annular body 4 is provided in the cup 2, and is lifted and lowered by the lifting mechanism 50 between an upper position (1 st relative height) and a lower position (2 nd relative height) in the cup 2, thereby switching the flow path (exhaust path) used in the cup 2 between the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22. The switching is performed by narrowing one of the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22 to increase the pressure loss and expanding the other to decrease the pressure loss, and the amount of exhaust gas is zero or a small amount for the narrowed flow path. The annular body 4 is located at an upper position in the cup 2 when the process is performed with the positive type developer D1, and the annular body 4 is located at a lower position in the cup 2 when the process is performed with the negative type developer D2. In addition, narrowing of the flow path includes narrowing the width of the flow path and closing the flow path. The constriction of the flow path may be formed in a state where the annular body 4 is not in contact with the other wall surface (bottom wall 35), or may be formed in a state where it is in contact with the other wall surface. When the flow path is narrowed in the above-described non-contact state, the instability of the exhaust pressure due to abrasion and chipping of the member can be suppressed.
The downstream end of the 1 st flow path 21 and the downstream end of the 2 nd flow path 22 are constituted by the exhaust port 20 described above. Thus, the exhaust port 20 is shared by the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22, and is configured as a downstream end of these flow paths. Further, in the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22, a 1 st liquid discharge port 23 and a 2 nd liquid discharge port 24 are provided upstream of the formation position of the exhaust port 20, respectively. In order to cope with the requirement of separately discharging the positive-type developer D1 and the negative-type developer D2 having different properties, the cup 2 is configured such that the positive-type developer D1 and the negative-type developer D2 are circulated through the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22, respectively, and are removed by flowing into the 1 st liquid outlet 23 and the 2 nd liquid outlet 24, respectively. The structure of the cup 2 and the annular body 4 will be described in detail later.
Next, the structure of the positive type developer processing mechanism 8A will be described. The positive type developer processing mechanism 8A includes a guide rail 81, a moving mechanism 82, an arm 83, and a positive type developer nozzle 84A. The guide rail 81 is provided to extend in the left-right direction with respect to the front side of the cup 2. A moving mechanism 82 is connected to the guide rail 81, and the moving mechanism 82 is movable laterally along the guide rail 81. The arm 83 extends rearward from the moving mechanism 82, and the arm 83 is movable up and down by the moving mechanism 82.
A positive type developer nozzle 84A is provided on the distal end side of the arm 83, and a slit extending laterally is provided at the lower end portion of the positive type developer nozzle 84A as an ejection port 85. The positive-type developer nozzle 84A is connected to a supply mechanism of a positive-type developer, not shown, and the positive-type developer D1 supplied from the supply mechanism is discharged downward from the discharge port 85. The positive-type developer nozzle 84A is moved by the moving mechanism 82 between a standby area 86A in which the positive-type developer nozzle 84A is standby outside the cup 2 and a wafer W placed on the spin chuck 11, and positive-type developer D1 is ejected onto the wafer W.
The negative type developer processing mechanism 8B is similar to the positive type developer processing mechanism 8A except that a developer nozzle is connected to a supply mechanism (not shown) of the negative type developer D2 to discharge the negative type developer D2. The developer nozzle provided in the negative developer processing mechanism 8B is denoted as a negative developer nozzle 84B.
The cleaning liquid processing mechanism 8C is configured in the same manner as the positive type developer processing mechanism 8A except that a cleaning liquid nozzle 84C is provided instead of the positive type developer nozzle 84A, and a relatively small circular hole, i.e., a discharge port (not shown), is formed in the lower end of the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C. The cleaning liquid nozzle 84C is connected to a supply mechanism of a cleaning liquid, not shown, such as pure water, and the cleaning liquid supplied from the supply mechanism is discharged downward from a discharge port of the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C. The negative type developer nozzle 84B and the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C are also movable between standby areas 86B and 86C provided outside the cup 2 and the wafer W placed on the spin chuck 11, and respectively eject the negative type developer D2 and the cleaning liquid on the wafer W. In the following description, the developer nozzles 84A and 84B and the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C are collectively referred to as a nozzle 84, and the nozzle 84 may correspond to a processing liquid supply unit in the claims.
Next, description will be given with reference to fig. 2 to 5. Fig. 2 to 5 are longitudinal sectional views of the ring body 4 and the cup 2, and fig. 2 and 4 show a state in which the ring body 4 is positioned at the upper position, and fig. 3 and 5 show a state in which the ring body 4 is positioned at the lower position. Fig. 4 and 5 show the state during the development process with the positive-type developer D1 and the state during the development process with the negative-type developer D2, respectively, and the arrows of the broken lines show the air flows from the outside of the cup 2 to the air outlet 20 in the cup 2. In fig. 4 and 5, the 1 st liquid outlet 23 and the 2 nd liquid outlet 24 are shown at positions different from the positions shown in fig. 2 and 3 in the circumferential direction of the cup 2 so as to show the flow of the positive type developer D1 to the 1 st liquid outlet 23 and the flow of the negative type developer D2 to the 2 nd liquid outlet 24 together with the above-described air flow.
As described above, the spin chuck 11 is provided in the cup 2. The spin chuck 11 vacuum-sucks a center portion of a lower surface of the wafer W, thereby holding the wafer W horizontally. The spin chuck 11 is provided on a shaft 12 extending in the vertical direction (vertical direction), and a lower portion side of the shaft 12 is connected to a rotation mechanism 13. By the rotation mechanism 13, the spin chuck 11 is rotated via the shaft 12, and the wafer W to be suctioned is rotated about the vertical axis.
Three pins 14 (only two are shown in fig. 2 to 5) for supporting the wafer W are provided so as to surround the spin chuck 11 in a plan view, and the pins 14 are configured to be vertically movable by a lifting mechanism 15. By lifting and lowering the pins 14, the wafer W is transferred between the wafer W transfer mechanism and the spin chuck 11.
Next, the cup 2 will be described. The cup 2 is circular in shape, and the central axis of the cup 2 coincides with the rotation axis of the spin chuck 11. Hereinafter, a direction toward the center axis of the cup 2 in a plan view is sometimes referred to as a "center direction", and a direction opposite to the center direction is sometimes referred to as an "outer circumferential direction", and these are collectively referred to as a "radial direction". The cup 2 includes a horizontal annular plate 25 disposed below the spin chuck 11 so as to surround the shaft 12, and the pins 14 are disposed so as to penetrate the annular plate 25.
The lower side of the peripheral edge portion of the annular plate 25 forms a vertical wall 28 extending vertically downward (vertically downward). The upper side of the peripheral edge portion of the annular plate 25 is raised vertically upward (vertically upward) to form a raised portion 29, and the raised portion 29 protrudes in the outer circumferential direction to form a flange portion 30 located outside the vertical wall 28. The flange 30 is formed in a tapered shape as going toward the outer periphery in a longitudinal section, so that a downward inclined surface is formed from the inner edge of the ridge 29 to the outer periphery of the upper surface of the flange 30, and the attached liquid is guided downward of the cup 2. The inclined surface is steep in the middle of the descent, and the steep inclined surface is denoted as an inclined surface 30A at the flange portion 30.
An annular ring member 31 is provided along the inner surface of the ridge 29 on the inner side of the flange 30, and an annular sealing protrusion 31a protruding upward is provided on the upper surface peripheral edge of the annular ring member 31. The distance between the sealing protrusion 31a and the wafer W is smaller than the distance between the flange 30 and the wafer W, and is small. The height of the ring member 31 is adjustable with respect to the ring plate 25, and thus the distance between the sealing projection 31a and the lower surface of the wafer W is adjustable. The sealing protrusion 31a blocks mist moving toward the center side of the wafer W on the lower surface of the wafer W, and blocks liquid moving toward the center side of the wafer W by being wound back from the upper surface of the wafer W. This prevents occurrence of defects in each process after the process of the developing device 1.
The cup 2 includes: a horizontal annular wall 33 that extends in the outer circumferential direction from the lower end portion of the vertical wall 28; a side wall 34 extending upward from an outer peripheral edge portion of the annular wall 33 and having a cylindrical shape, and forming an outer side surface of the cup 2; and a bottom wall 35 which is an annular wall provided above the annular wall 33 and connects the side wall 34 and the vertical wall 28. The width center portion of the bottom wall 35 bulges to form an annular projection 36 that tapers upward in longitudinal section. The bottom wall 35 is provided with an inner base wall 35A and an outer base wall 35B at positions located inward and outward of the annular projection 36, respectively. Hereinafter, the inner base wall 35A and the outer base wall 35B may be collectively referred to as base walls 35A and 35B.
The base walls 35A, 35B are gently inclined so as to rise in the radial direction toward the annular projection 36. The inner base wall 35A is provided with a plurality of 1 st liquid discharge ports 23 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the cup 2, and the outer base wall 35B is provided with a plurality of 2 nd liquid discharge ports 24 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the cup 2. The liquid drains flowing to the 1 st liquid drain port 23 and the 2 nd liquid drain port 24 are discharged to the outside of the cup 2 via liquid drain path forming members 71 and 72 connected to the bottom wall 35, respectively.
In the bottom wall 35, if the portions of the annular projection 36 forming the inner side surface and the portions of the outer side surface are respectively the inner inclined wall 36C and the outer inclined wall 36D, the inclination of the inner inclined wall 36C and the outer inclined wall 36D is steeper than the inclination of the base walls 35A and 35B. A horizontal surface 36E is provided at the upper end of the annular projection 36, and a narrowing projection 36F protruding upward along the inner peripheral edge of the horizontal surface 36E is provided. The inner side surface of the narrowing projection 36F is continuous with the side surface (inclined surface) formed by the inner inclined wall 36C.
A plurality of exhaust ports 20 which are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction and are directed upward are provided at the portion of the horizontal surface 36E of the annular projection 36 on the outer circumferential side of the narrowing projection 36F. The space between the bottom wall 35 and the annular wall 33 is connected to the plurality of exhaust ports 20, and is connected to an exhaust path of a factory, not shown, to be negative pressure, so that the inside of the cup 2 is exhausted to the exhaust path of the factory via the exhaust ports 20. In fig. 2 and 3, the exhaust port 20 is shown on the same plane as the 1 st liquid discharge port 23 and the 2 nd liquid discharge port 24, but these are not limited to being arranged along the diameter of the cup 2 in a plan view.
The side wall 34 is provided with an annular upper wall portion 37 extending toward the center, and an inner peripheral edge of the upper wall portion 37 is located on the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30. The region surrounded by the inner periphery of the upper wall 37 forms an opening of the cup 2, and the wafer W is transferred to the spin chuck 11 through the opening. The upper wall portion 37 corresponds to a covering portion in the claims. The upper wall 37 surrounds the peripheral edge of the wafer W on the spin chuck 11 with a gap.
The lower surface of the upper wall 37 is configured as a narrowing inclined surface 37a that rises toward the center, and the upper end of the narrowing inclined surface 37a protrudes downward to form an annular lower protrusion 37b, and the annular lower protrusion 37b forms the inner peripheral edge of the upper wall 37. In the structure of the upper wall 37, in other words, an annular recess 37c recessed upward is provided in the lower portion of the upper wall 37, and the inclined surface 37a for narrowing corresponds to the bottom surface of the recess 37 c.
The cup 2 described above includes: a center-side structure 2A including an annular plate 25, a vertical wall 28, and a flange portion 30; an outer peripheral side structure 2B including a side wall 34 and an upper wall portion 37; and a bottom side structure 2C that includes a bottom wall 35 and an annular wall 33, and connects the center side structure 2A and the outer peripheral side structure 2B. The cup 2 has a space surrounded by a center-side structure 2A, an outer-peripheral-side structure 2B, and a bottom-side structure 2C.
Next, the annular body 4 will be described, and the central axis of the annular body 4 is the same as the rotation axis of the spin chuck 11. The annular body 4 is provided in a space surrounded by the center structure 2A, the outer peripheral structure 2B, and the bottom structure 2C of the cup 2, and is provided around the wafer W with a gap in a plan view. The annular body 4 has a cylindrical vertical wall 41 extending vertically, an upper inclined wall 42 extending upward from the upper end of the vertical wall 41 toward the inner side, and an inner inclined wall 43 and an outer inclined wall 44 as extending portions branching downward from the lower end of the vertical wall 41 toward the inner side and the outer side, and the upper inclined wall 42, the inner inclined wall 43, and the outer inclined wall 44 are respectively cylindrical.
The outer peripheral surface of the upper inclined wall 42 is parallel to the inclined surface 37a for narrowing the upper wall 37 when seen in a vertical cross-section, and as described in detail later, when the annular body 4 is located at the upper position, the outer peripheral surface of the upper inclined wall 42 is close to the inclined surface 37a for narrowing the upper wall 37. In addition, the upper end portion of the upper inclined wall 42 becomes a tip when viewed in a longitudinal section, since the wall thickness decreases as it goes upward. The outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion is formed so as to be inclined more gently than the outer peripheral surface on the lower side than the upper end portion. According to the above configuration, when the narrowing inclined surface 37a and the upper inclined wall 42 are close to each other, the lower end of the annular lower protrusion 37b and the upper end of the upper inclined wall 42 are also close to each other, and the narrowed portion of the 2 nd flow passage 22 is long, so that the pressure loss can be sufficiently increased.
The inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4 is bent so that the inclination thereof becomes steeper than the base end side, and the base end side and the tip end side are respectively indicated as a base end side inclined portion 43a and a tip end side inclined portion 43b. The tip-side inclined portion 43b is provided in parallel with the inner inclined wall 36C forming the annular projection 36. The thickness of the distal end portion of the distal end side inclined portion 43b is configured to gradually decrease toward the distal end, and the distal end is sharp in a longitudinal section, thereby preventing a decrease in pressure loss when the 1 st flow path 21 expands.
Also in the outer inclined wall 44, the tip end side is bent with respect to the base end side, and the inclination is steeper than the base end side, as in the inner inclined wall 43. The thickness of the distal end portion of the outer inclined wall 44 is gradually reduced toward the distal end, and the distal end is sharp in a longitudinal section, so that the pressure loss is prevented from being reduced when the 2 nd flow path 22 is expanded. The tip (lower end) of the outer inclined wall 44 is located above the tip (lower end) of the inner inclined wall 43. Further, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the outer inclined wall 44 is connected to a lifting mechanism 50 provided outside the cup 2 via a support member.
The positional relationship between the cup 2 and the annular body 4 is described. The upper inclined wall 42 of the annular body 4 is provided below the upper wall portion 37 of the cup 2, specifically, in a region immediately below, and the inner peripheral edge of the upper inclined wall 42 and the inner peripheral edge of the upper wall portion 37 are aligned with each other in plan view, and the annular lower protrusion 37b and the upper inclined wall 42 can be brought close to each other as described above. The outer side surface of the vertical wall 41 of the annular body 4 and the inner side surface of the side wall 34 of the cup 2 are separated from each other and opposed to each other in the radial direction of the cup 2.
The inner inclined wall 43 and the outer inclined wall 44 of the annular body 4 are provided in a space surrounded by the vertical wall 28, the flange portion 30, the side wall 34, and the bottom wall 35 of the cup 2. The base end inclined portion 43a of the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4 is provided above the annular projection 36 of the bottom wall 35, that is, in a region directly above it, and the opposing inclined surface 40, which is the lower surface of the base end inclined portion 43a, opposes the exhaust port 20. The lower end of the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4 is located on the center side of the horizontal surface 36E constituting the top of the annular protrusion 36, and the lower end of the outer inclined wall 44 of the annular body 4 is located on the outer peripheral side of the horizontal surface 36E. The lower ends of the inner inclined wall 43 and the outer inclined wall 44 are suspended from the bottom wall 35, respectively.
The 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22 are described in detail, and these flow paths are annular flow paths having the opening of the cup 2 as a base end. The 1 st flow path 21 is a flow path formed between the inner side of the annular body 4 and the cup 2, specifically, between the center side structure 2A and the bottom side structure 2C of the cup 2 and the annular body 4. More specifically, the 1 st flow path 21 is formed between the upper inclined wall 42, the vertical wall 41, and the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4, the flange portion 30, the vertical wall 28, the inner base wall 35A, and the annular projection 36 of the cup 2, and the 1 st flow path 21 is formed from the upstream side to the downstream side of each of the portions of the annular body 4 and each of the portions of the cup 2 in the above-described order.
The 2 nd flow path 22 is a flow path formed between the outer side of the annular body 4 and the cup 2, specifically, between the outer peripheral side structure 2B and the bottom side structure 2C of the cup 2 and the annular body 4. More specifically, the 2 nd flow path 22 is formed between the upper inclined wall 42, the vertical wall 41, the outer inclined wall 44, and the base end inclined portion 43a of the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4 and the upper wall portion 37, the side wall 34, the outer side wall 35B, and the annular projection 36 of the cup 2, and the 2 nd flow path 22 is formed in the above-described order from the upstream to the downstream in each portion of the annular body 4 and each portion of the cup 2. The downstream sides of the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22 are formed below the annular body 4, specifically, between the base end side inclined portion 43a of the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4 and the bottom side structure 2C of the cup 2.
Thus, the 1 st flow path 21 is formed to curve and go downward at a position near the center side in the cup 2, and goes from the center side of the cup 2 to the exhaust port 20 on the bottom wall 35 of the cup 2. The 2 nd flow path 22 is formed to curve and go downward at a position near the outer periphery side in the cup 2, and goes from the outer periphery side of the cup 2 to the exhaust port 20 at the bottom wall 35 of the cup 2. Further, the 1 st liquid discharge port 23 formed in the inner base wall 35A of the bottom wall 35 is located upstream of the horizontal surface 36E of the annular protrusion 36 in which the exhaust port 20 is formed in the 1 st flow path 21, and the 2 nd liquid discharge port 24 formed in the outer base wall 35B of the bottom wall 35 is located upstream of the horizontal surface 36E in the 2 nd flow path 22.
In switching the liquid discharge path, the 1 st flow path 21 is expanded and the 2 nd flow path 22 is narrowed in a state where the annular body 4 is disposed at the upper position, and the 1 st flow path 21 is used as the exhaust path. Hereinafter, a state in which the annular body 4 is disposed at the upper position is referred to as an "upper disposition state", and a state in which the annular body 4 is disposed at the lower position is referred to as a "lower disposition state". In the downward arrangement state, the 1 st flow path 21 is narrowed, and the 2 nd flow path 22 is expanded, so that the 2 nd flow path 22 is used as an exhaust path. The upper arrangement state and the lower arrangement state correspond to the 1 st state and the 2 nd state, respectively.
In the upper arrangement state, the upper inclined wall 42 of the annular body 4 enters the recess 37c of the upper wall 37 of the cup 2, and the tapered inclined surface 37a constituting the recess 37c and the outer peripheral surface of the upper inclined wall 42 are brought close to each other and face each other. By such approaching and opposing, a relatively long portion of the 2 nd flow path 22 becomes a narrowed state, and the pressure loss at that portion becomes relatively large. The exhaust gas amount in the 2 nd flow path 22 is zero or a small amount due to such a relatively large pressure loss. That is, the exhaust gas in the 2 nd flow path 22 is stopped.
On the other hand, the 1 st flow path 21 in the upper arrangement state is not narrowed. More specifically, in the upper arrangement state, as described later, the tip of the upper inclined wall 42 of the annular body 4 that narrows the 1 st flow path 21 in the lower arrangement state is separated to a large extent from the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30 of the cup 2, and the narrowing projection 36F of the annular projection 36 of the cup 2 is also separated to a large extent from the opposing inclined surface 40 of the annular body 4. The approach and the facing between the tip-side inclined portion 43b of the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4 and the inner inclined wall 36C of the annular protrusion 36 are released. As described above, the 1 st flow path 21 is in an expanded state in an upper arrangement state in which the portion that is narrowed in the lower arrangement state, and thus the 1 st flow path 21 is exhausted.
In this upper arrangement state, the narrowed portion of the 2 nd flow path 22 is located above the wafer W placed on the spin chuck 11. The cup 2 and the ring 4, which are narrowed, are close to each other but not in contact with each other, so that particles are prevented from being generated at the narrowed portion and from adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W, i.e., the device formation surface.
In the downward arrangement, the tip of the upper inclined wall 42 of the annular body 4 is in contact with the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30, the narrowing projection 36F of the annular projection 36 is in close proximity to the opposing inclined surface 40 of the annular body 4, and the tip inclined portion 43b of the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4 and the inner inclined wall 36C of the annular projection 36 are in a state of being opposed to and in close proximity to each other. That is, the pressure loss increases in the gap between the tip end of the upper inclined wall 42 and the inclined surface 30A (upstream gap), the gap between the narrowing protrusion 36F and the opposed inclined surface 40 of the annular body 4 (downstream gap), and the gap between the tip end side inclined portion 43b and the inclined wall 36C (midstream gap).
In order to suppress the generation of particles, the tip of the upper inclined wall 42 is not pressed against or brought into close contact with the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30. Therefore, a very small gap, which is referred to as an upstream gap, is formed between the tip end of the upper inclined wall 42 and the inclined surface 30A. In this way, the 1 st flow path 21 is narrowed, and the pressure loss is relatively large in each of the upstream gap, the midstream gap, and the downstream gap, which are the narrowed portions, so that the amount of exhaust gas in the 1 st flow path 21 is zero or small. That is, the exhaust gas in the 1 st flow path 21 is stopped.
On the other hand, the 2 nd flow path 22 in the downward arrangement state is not narrowed. More specifically, in the downward arrangement state, the recess 37c of the upper wall 37 of the cup 2 and the upper inclined wall 42 that narrow the 2 nd flow path 22 in the upward arrangement state are positioned below the recess 37c without the upper inclined wall 42 entering the recess 37c of the upper wall 37 of the cup 2, and the narrowing inclined surface 37a and the upper inclined wall 42 that constitute the recess 37c are separated to a large extent. As described above, the 2 nd flow path 22 is expanded in the state where the portion narrowed in the upper arrangement state is arranged in the lower arrangement state, and thus the 2 nd flow path 22 is exhausted.
In the downward arrangement, the tip of the upper inclined wall 42 contacts the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30, and the upstream gap is small, so that the liquid falling from the wafer W is prevented from flowing into the 1 st liquid outlet 23 via the upstream gap to the 1 st flow path 21. Since the portion where the upper inclined wall 42 and the flange portion 30 are brought into contact in this manner is a portion located below the wafer W on the spin chuck 11, it is assumed that even if particles are generated, adhesion to the upper surface of the wafer W is prevented.
In the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22 described above, the total pressure loss of the exhaust paths (the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22) in the cup 2 in the upper arrangement state is made the same or substantially the same as the total pressure loss of the exhaust paths in the cup 2 in the lower arrangement state by the structures such as the width, the length, and the curvature of each portion. Therefore, the exhaust performance of the cup 2 is made equal between the treatment with the positive-type developer D1 and the treatment with the negative-type developer D2, and mist can be prevented from flowing out of the cup 2 in any treatment.
In order to more clearly describe the advantages of the above-described formation of the convection passage by each shape of the annular projection 36 of the cup 2 and the lower end portion of the annular body 4, a comparative example is given. Assuming that the tip-side inclined portion 43b of the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4 is a vertical wall X extending vertically downward, the outer inclined wall 44 is a vertical wall Y extending vertically downward, the inner inclined wall 36C and the outer inclined wall 36D of the annular projection 36 of the bottom wall 35 are vertical walls, and the vertical walls form vertical surfaces α, β facing the center side and the outer peripheral side, respectively. The vertical wall X is located closer to the center of the cup 2 than the vertical plane α, and the vertical wall Y is located closer to the outer periphery of the cup 2 than the vertical plane β. That is, for each portion described as the inclined wall, a structure in which a vertical wall is formed without changing the order of arrangement in the radial direction of the cup 2 is taken as a comparative example (comparative example 1), and the structure described so far is taken as an example.
In this 1 st comparative example, in the upper arrangement state, the lower end of the vertical wall X of the annular body 4 is located above the vertical surface α of the annular projection 36, so that the 1 st flow path 21 is in an expanded state, and in the lower arrangement state, the vertical wall X and the vertical surface α are brought close to and opposed to each other, so that the 1 st flow path 21 is in a narrowed state. On the other hand, the 2 nd flow passage 22 may be in an undensified state by relatively facing the vertical wall Y of the annular body 4 and the vertical surface β of the annular projection 36 in a separated manner.
However, in the case of such a configuration, if a manufacturing error occurs in the vertical wall X and/or the vertical surface α, it may be difficult to eliminate the influence of the error on the gap size between the vertical wall X and the vertical surface α. Specifically, it is conceivable that the vertical wall X is brought into contact with the vertical surface α when the annular body 4 moves to the lower position because the gap size is smaller than the design value. Further, it is conceivable that the 1 st flow path 21 is not sufficiently narrowed because the gap size is larger than the design value. In the case where such a defect occurs, for example, remanufacturing of the components of the cup 2 including the annular body 4 and the vertical wall X may be required. The gap between the vertical walls Y and the vertical plane β is larger than the gap between the vertical walls X and the vertical plane α, and the possibility of the vertical walls Y and/or the vertical plane β coming into contact with each other due to manufacturing errors is correspondingly reduced, but the conductance (continuity) of the 2 nd flow path 22 may deviate from an appropriate range.
However, as in the example, the following structure is provided: the annular protrusion 36 is formed with an inner inclined wall 36C and an outer inclined wall 36D, and flow paths are formed between the inner inclined wall 36C and the tip inclined portion 43b of the inner inclined wall 43 of the annular body 4, and between the outer inclined wall 36D and the outer inclined wall 44 of the annular body 4, respectively. That is, the following structure is provided: the side surfaces of the annular projection 36 and the walls of the lower end portion of the annular body 4 are inclined with respect to the lifting direction of the annular body 4. By adjusting the height of the annular body 4, the width of the flow path formed by the side surfaces of the annular projection 36 and the walls of the annular body 4 can be adjusted.
Therefore, when the 1 st flow path 21 is narrowed, interference between the tip end side inclined portion 43b and the inner inclined wall 36C of the annular projection 36 is prevented, and the conductance of the 2 nd flow path 22 is easily controlled to be in an appropriate range. That is, according to the structure of the embodiment, the range in which manufacturing errors can be tolerated is advantageously widened.
In addition, the 1 st flow path 21 is narrowed by the tip end side inclined portion 43b of the annular body 4 and the inner inclined wall 36C of the annular protrusion 36 being brought close to each other and facing each other. The width of the intermediate gap formed by the tip inclined portion 43b and the inner inclined wall 36C is relatively small, which contributes to such narrowing, but the width of the downstream gap formed by the narrowing projection 36F and the opposing inclined surface 40 of the base end inclined portion 43a of the annular body 4 is smaller, and the width of the upstream gap formed by the upper inclined wall 42 of the annular body 4 and the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30 of the cup 2 is zero or almost zero. Therefore, the constriction projection 36F, the opposed inclined surface 40, the upper inclined wall 42 of the annular body 4, and the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30 contribute to stopping the exhaust gas from the 1 st flow path 21 to a greater extent.
In addition, the following advantages are also achieved: the annular projection 36 includes an inner inclined wall 36C and an outer inclined wall 36D, and the annular body 4 includes an inner inclined wall 43 and an outer inclined wall 44, and therefore, the processing liquid is guided to the 1 st liquid outlet 23 and the 2 nd liquid outlet 24 along these inclined walls, and the retention of the processing liquid in the cup 2 can be prevented more reliably.
Further, the annular body 4 is provided with the opposed inclined surface 40, which is effective in the following aspects as described above: when the 1 st flow path 21 is narrowed, the gap between the 1 st flow path 21 is narrowed, and the exhaust of the 1 st flow path 21 is more reliably prevented, and the 2 nd flow path 22 is not affected by the narrowing, so that a sufficient conductance is obtained. This helps to suppress the inflow of the negative-type developer D2 to the 1 st liquid discharge port 23 by the exhaust gas passing through the 1 st flow path 21 during the process performed by the negative-type developer D2, and therefore, the positive-type developer D1 and the negative-type developer D2 are removed more reliably.
Referring back to fig. 1, the developing device 1 includes a control unit 10. The control unit 10 is configured by a computer and includes a program. A series of processes of the developing device 1 described later can be performed by programming a step group. The control section 10 outputs control signals to the respective parts of the developing device 1 by using the program, and controls the operations of the respective parts. Specifically, the rotation speed of the spin chuck 11 by the rotation mechanism 13, the lifting and lowering of the pins 14 by the lifting and lowering mechanism 15, the supply of the treatment liquid from the supply mechanisms to the nozzles 84, the movement of the nozzles 84 by the movement mechanisms 82, the lifting and lowering of the ring body 4 by the lifting and lowering mechanism 50, and the like are controlled by the control signals described above. The program is stored in a storage medium such as an optical disk, a hard disk, or a DVD, for example, and is loaded into the control unit 10.
Next, the processing of the wafer W of the developing device 1 will be described in order. First, when the wafer W on which the positive resist film is formed is conveyed onto the spin chuck 11 by the conveying mechanism, the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 11 via the pins 14 and held by suction. At this time, when the annular body 4 is positioned at the lower position, the annular body 4 is moved to the upper position, and the 2 nd flow path 22 is narrowed, while the 1 st flow path 21 is expanded. Thereby, the gas outside the cup 2 is switched from a state flowing into the exhaust port 20 through the 2 nd flow path 22 to a state flowing into the exhaust port 20 through the 1 st flow path 21.
The positive type developer nozzle 84A moves from the standby area 86A onto the wafer W, while the wafer W rotates. Then, the positive-type developer nozzle 84A ejects the positive-type developer D1 from the peripheral edge portion of the wafer W, moves toward the center portion of the wafer W in the radial direction of the wafer W, and supplies the positive-type developer D1 to the entire surface of the wafer W to perform the development process. As shown in fig. 4, the positive-type developer D1 scattered from the upper surface of the wafer W during the development process drops on the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30.
In this way, in the 1 st flow path 21, the positive-type developer D1 that has fallen on the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30 falls on the inner base wall 35A of the bottom wall 35, which is the bottom of the 1 st flow path 21, and flows down the inner base wall 35A and flows into the 1 st liquid discharge port 23. In this way, the positive-type developer D1 flows through the 1 st flow path 21 and flows into the 1 st liquid outlet 23, and is removed from the cup 2. The mist generated by the positive-type developer D1 splashed from the wafer W and the cup 2 flows into the exhaust port 20 by the exhaust flow of the gas flowing through the 1 st flow path 21, and is removed from the cup 2.
Thereafter, the ejection of the positive type developer D1 from the positive type developer nozzle 84A is stopped, the positive type developer nozzle 84A is returned to the standby area 86A, and the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C is moved from the standby area 86C to the center of the wafer W, and the cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C to the center of the wafer W, so that the positive type developer D1 is removed by being flushed from the wafer W. The positive-type developer D1 and the cleaning liquid are also removed by flowing through the 1 st flow path 21 to the 1 st liquid outlet 23, and the atomized liquid flows into the air outlet 20 and is removed from the cup 2. Thereafter, the ejection of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C is stopped, the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C is returned to the standby area 86C, and the wafer W is dried by continuing to rotate and throw the cleaning liquid. Thereafter, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped, and the wafer W is transferred to the conveying mechanism via the pins 14 and sent out from the developing device 1.
Next, the wafer W on which the negative resist film is formed is transported onto the spin chuck 11 by a transport mechanism. The annular body 4 is moved to the downward position, the 2 nd flow path 22 is expanded, and the 1 st flow path 21 is narrowed. Thereby, the gas outside the cup 2 is switched from a state flowing into the exhaust port 20 through the 1 st flow path 21 to a state flowing into the exhaust port 20 through the 2 nd flow path 22.
The development process is performed in the same manner as in the case of supplying the positive-type developer D1, except that the negative-type developer D2 is ejected by the negative-type developer nozzle 84B. As shown in fig. 5, the negative developer D2 scattered from the wafer W during the development process drips down the inclined surface 30A of the flange portion 30 and flows along the outer peripheral surface of the upper inclined wall 42 of the annular body 4. At this time, since the inclined surface 30A contacts the tip of the upper inclined wall 42 of the annular body 4, the negative-type developer D2 is prevented from flowing into the 1 st flow path 21.
Thereafter, the negative developer D2 flows downward along the outer surfaces of the vertical wall 41 and the outer inclined wall 44 of the annular body 4, drops onto the outer base wall 35B of the bottom wall 35, which is the bottom of the 2 nd flow path 22, flows down the outer base wall 35B, and flows into the 2 nd drain port 24. In this way, the negative type developer D2 flows through the 2 nd flow path 22 and flows into the 2 nd drain port 24, and is removed from the cup 2. The mist generated by the negative-type developer D2 splashed from the wafer W and the cup 2 flows into the exhaust port 20 by the exhaust flow of the gas flowing through the 2 nd flow path 22, and is removed from the cup 2.
After the discharge of the negative-type developer D2 is completed, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning liquid nozzle 84C to clean the wafer W, as in the case of the positive-type developer D1. In this cleaning process, the negative-type developer D2 and the cleaning liquid flow into the 2 nd drain port 24 and are removed, and the atomized liquid flows into the exhaust port 20 and is removed from the cup 2. After the cleaning, the wafer W is dried by the above-described spin-off cleaning liquid, and the dried wafer W is sent out from the developing device 1 via the pins 14 by the conveying mechanism. Thereafter, when processing the wafer W on which the positive resist film is formed, the ring 4 is moved upward again to perform processing.
According to the developing device 1 of the present application, one of the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22 is exhausted by lifting and lowering the annular body 4 in the cup 2. The exhaust of the 1 st flow path 21 and the exhaust of the 2 nd flow path 22 are performed by providing exhaust ports 20 shared by the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22 so as to go to the center side and the outer peripheral side on the bottom wall 35 of the cup 2, respectively, and the exhaust is performed by the 1 st liquid discharge port 23 and the 2 nd liquid discharge port 24 provided in the middle of reaching the exhaust ports. According to this configuration, the liquid can be discharged independently from the 1 st liquid discharge port 23 and the 2 nd liquid discharge port 24, and the cup 2 can be prevented from being enlarged in the radial direction. More specifically, the exhaust port dedicated to the 1 st flow path 21 and the exhaust port dedicated to the 2 nd flow path 22 are provided, respectively, and are disposed at different positions in the radial direction of the cup 2, and the exhaust ports used are switched in accordance with the elevation of the annular body 4. Compared with such a configuration (comparative example 2), the cup 2 can be miniaturized, and therefore, the developing device 1 can be miniaturized.
The side wall 34 of the cup 2 can be separated vertically, and the upper side of the side wall 34 can be detached from the lower side of the side wall 34 together with the upper wall 37, so that the annular body 4 can be exposed to the space outside the cup 2 by this detachment. The ring-shaped body 4 thus exposed can be detached from the cup 2. More specifically, the annular body 4 can be detached from the structure composed of the lower side of the side wall 34, the annular wall 33, the vertical wall 28, and the annular plate 25, and the cleaning process can be performed.
On the other hand, since the annular member 31 provided with the sealing protrusion 31a is provided on the annular plate 25 as a member independent from the annular body 4, the height of the sealing protrusion 31a does not change by removing the annular body 4. The height of the sealing protrusion 31a is adjusted with high accuracy from the viewpoints of the above-described function of the sealing protrusion 31a and the prevention of contact with the wafer W. On the other hand, the ring body 4 is relatively easily stained to form a flow path, and the frequency of the cleaning process may be relatively high. By making the sealing projection 31a and the annular body 4 independent, the operator does not need to adjust the height of the sealing projection 31a every time the cleaning process of the annular body 4 is performed, and the frequency of the height adjustment can be reduced.
Here, consider the structure of the above-described comparative example 2. When the exhaust ports are provided at different positions in the radial direction, a cover member is provided to cover the exhaust ports from the position where the exhaust port on the center side is provided to the position where the exhaust port on the outer peripheral side is provided, so as to prevent the inflow of the liquid discharge to each exhaust port. The cover member is a guide that causes the liquid to flow down to the bottom of the cup by making the upper surface an inclined surface, but in this case, the length of the guide in the radial direction of the cup is relatively large. Therefore, in the radial direction, the position of the guide overlaps with the position where the sealing protrusion 31a should be provided, and the sealing protrusion 31a may be provided in the guide. However, since the guide is stained due to the adhesion of the processing liquid, the guide is required to be cleaned, and the height of the sealing projection 31a is required to be adjusted every time the cleaning is performed. However, since the developing device 1 includes the common exhaust port of the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22, the guide can be small in size in the radial direction. Specifically, the ridge 29, the flange 30, and the annular body 4 correspond to the guides, and the sealing projection 31a is provided as a separate member from these members at a position closer to the center of the cup 2 than these members. As described above, according to the structure of the developing device 1, the frequency of height adjustment of the sealing protrusion 31a is reduced, and maintenance of the device is facilitated.
In the developing device 1, the ring-shaped body 4 is lifted up and down relative to the cup 2 to switch the flow paths used, but the cup 2 may be lifted up and down relative to the ring-shaped body 4 to switch the flow paths used. The positive-type developer D1 and the negative-type developer D2 are not limited to being discharged from the 1 st liquid discharge port 23 and the 2 nd liquid discharge port 24 through the 1 st flow path 21 and the 2 nd flow path 22 in such a combination. For example, the positive-type developer D1 may be discharged from the 2 nd liquid discharge port 24 through the 2 nd flow path 22 on the outer side of the annular body 4, and the negative-type developer D2 may be discharged from the 1 st liquid discharge port 23 through the 1 st flow path 21 on the inner side of the annular body 4.
The processing liquid to be supplied to the wafer W is not limited to the developing liquid and the cleaning liquid, and for example, a coating liquid for forming a coating film such as a resist, a chemical solution for forming an insulating film, a chemical solution for forming an antireflection film, or the like may be used. Thus, the liquid processing apparatus of the present technology is not limited to the developing apparatus 1. The substrate to be processed is not limited to the wafer W, and may be a square substrate such as a substrate for manufacturing a Flat Panel Display (FPD), for example.
The embodiments of the present application are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, altered, and combined in various forms without departing from the scope of the claims and the gist thereof.

Claims (8)

1. A liquid treatment apparatus, wherein,
the liquid treatment apparatus includes:
a mounting portion for mounting a substrate thereon;
a cup surrounding the substrate placed on the placement unit;
a treatment liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate and performing a treatment;
an exhaust port provided at the bottom of the cup for exhausting the inside of the cup;
an annular body provided in the cup so as to surround the substrate in a plan view, and forming a flow path for a gas flowing into the cup from an opening of the cup;
a lifting mechanism for relatively lifting the ring body with respect to the cup to switch between a 1 st state and a 2 nd state, wherein in the 1 st state, the ring body is positioned at a 1 st relative height to perform exhaust of a 1 st flow path for flowing the gas from the center side of the cup to the exhaust port, and in the 2 nd state, the ring body is positioned at a 2 nd relative height to perform exhaust of a 2 nd flow path for flowing the gas from the outer periphery side of the cup to the exhaust port; and
and liquid discharge ports which are respectively arranged on the upstream side of the exhaust port and the 1 st flow path and the 2 nd flow path.
2. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,
The annular body is located above the exhaust port.
3. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,
the switching between the 1 st state and the 2 nd state is performed by narrowing one of the 1 st flow path and the 2 nd flow path and expanding the other by the relative lifting of the annular body.
4. A liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,
a protruding part is formed at the bottom of the cup, the top of the protruding part is provided with the exhaust port,
the width of the protruding part is reduced along with the upward direction, so that the side surface of the protruding part near the center side of the cup and the side surface near the outer periphery side of the cup respectively form a 1 st inclined surface and a 2 nd inclined surface,
the 1 st relative height is a position where the position of the ring body with respect to the cup is higher than the 2 nd relative height,
the ring-shaped body is provided with a 1 st extension part and a 2 nd extension part which extend downwards towards the center side and the outer periphery side of the cup respectively,
the 1 st inclined surface and the 1 st elongated portion are used for forming the 1 st flow path, and the 2 nd inclined surface and the 2 nd elongated portion are used for forming the 2 nd flow path.
5. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,
The annular body is provided with an opposite inclined surface which is opposite to the exhaust port and descends along the direction of the center of the cup,
the 1 st flow path is narrowed and expanded by the relative lifting of the opposing inclined surface with respect to the protrusion.
6. A liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,
the cup is provided with a cover part which is formed from the side wall of the cup towards the center side in a mode of overlapping from the upper side relative to the annular body,
a concave portion is formed on the lower surface of the cover portion, and the annular body enters the concave portion in the 1 st state to narrow the 2 nd flow path.
7. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 6, wherein,
the annular body includes a cylindrical portion having an outer peripheral surface which descends from a center side of the cup toward an outer peripheral side,
the bottom surface of the recess forms an opposing surface that faces the outer peripheral surface of the tube portion in the 1 st state to narrow the 1 st flow path.
8. A liquid treatment method, wherein,
the liquid treatment method comprises the following steps:
placing the substrate on the placement part;
supplying a processing liquid from a processing liquid supply unit to the substrate to perform processing;
Exhausting the interior of the cup from an exhaust port provided at the bottom of the cup surrounding the substrate placed on the placement part;
a 1 st state in which a ring-shaped body is positioned at a 1 st relative height to exhaust the 1 st flow path for flowing the gas from the center of the cup to the exhaust port, the ring-shaped body being provided in the cup so as to surround the substrate in a plan view, and forming a flow path for the gas flowing into the cup from the opening of the cup;
a 2 nd state in which the annular body is positioned at a 2 nd relative height, and the exhaust gas of the 2 nd flow path for flowing the gas from the outer periphery of the cup to the exhaust port is performed;
relatively lifting the ring body with respect to the cup by a lifting mechanism, thereby switching between the 1 st state and the 2 nd state; and
and the liquid is discharged from liquid discharge ports respectively opened at the upstream side of the air outlet in the 1 st flow path and the 2 nd flow path.
CN202310959035.7A 2022-08-08 2023-08-01 Liquid treatment apparatus and liquid treatment method Pending CN117539132A (en)

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